Count me in also. From the time I was a little kid, i spent a great deal of time by myself exploring the woods, hills and mountains wherever I lived. I then spent two years in and about Fairbanks, out in the real wilderness, and loved it even more.
Since then I have seized every opportunity to go mountain climbing, hiking, or backpacking in wilderness areas, and still love it. I don’t mind going with an experienced friend, but I am more comfortable by myself. And I’m old fashioned enough, not to use GPS. For decades I’ve survived with a compass and maps.
Despite all the posts here, I will hazard a guess that we are a really tiny minority. Most want to go on a guided tours, surrounded by enough people to feel comfortable, and with a guide that will take care of everything if anybody goofs up.
One thing I hope all will agree with however, is that before departing for the wilderness, you should let somebody know where you are going. At least approximately, so they will know where to search for the body.
If you’re interested in the psychological lure of the wilderness, you should read Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild. Although the book is framed by the story of Chris McCandless, who died in the Alaskan wilderness, a lot of it is devoted to describing the lives and motivations of others who have sought the wilderness experience. The Sean Penn film is very good, but one thing that it lacked was the larger context of why people love the wild that Krakauer brings to the book.
Another great book that touches on this theme is The Last Season, about a California park ranger.
I’m fascinated by this stuff, but as you can tell, more as an armchair observer. I do agree with what Busy Scissors says about the Scottish Highlands. That’s the place in the world that I’ve felt most isolated and most free, and when I’m particularly stressed, I still sometimes try to conjure up some of that feeling.
I can’t even explain it, and often wondered myself why, when I am sitting on the side of a valley, halfway up whatever heights there are, and can look down and see everything…I have no idea why that makes me feel safe, secure, and like I could sleep there safely forever.
Ok, well, not forever.
But those pictures you see occasionally <and which I can’t seem to find right now online> with people sleeping while strapped to the side of a mountain…that looks wonderful!!
But then I’ve always, always always wanted to sleep outside. In a bed, though. Sleeping bags are for when you MUST, not just 'cause you can.
There is absolutely NOTHING like sitting around a campfire at a remote lake in the BWCA in northern Minnesota in summer, with less than a hundred people within a range of several miles of you, with northern lights bright enough to read a newspaper by.
No cell phones, no TV, no construction of any kind, no noise but nature itself and whatever idiots you brought with you.
For most people, it’s one word: escape. Escape from work pressures, escape from traffic, escape from masses of people. It’s good to see a horizon that is beyond the building across the street. But it’s a common mistake for people to retire from their jobs and think that living in remote areas is what they really want to do, when all they really want to do is escape from work.
It becomes a matter of need, rather than want, for a lot of people when they retire. Cities can mean walking distance to necessities, public transit to things further away, nearby medical care, etc. Living in the boonies may sound like an idyllic existence, but woefully few people are really prepared for the isolation and inconvenience. That’s why most people have cabins to stay in, or only spend a week or so tenting it. It really takes a particular mindset (like my brother has) to spend extended periods in the bush.
